Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers
Also called: Outside Operator, Pipeline Operator, Pumper, Tank Farm OperatorTend, control, or operate power-driven, stationary, or portable pumps and manifold systems to transfer gases, oil, other liquids, slurries, or powdered materials to and from various vessels and processes.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 14 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 4.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 8.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Conveyor, dredge, and hoist and winch operators”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 29% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $66,890 | $50,570 to $73,260 | 100 |
| Alaska | $80,210 | $63,850 to $97,370 | 120 |
| California | $57,660 | $44,550 to $73,880 | 1,220 |
| Colorado | $46,680 | $45,730 to $76,410 | not published |
| Connecticut | $71,890 | $65,660 to $72,970 | 30 |
| Florida | $59,120 | $39,520 to $66,480 | 510 |
| Georgia | $64,050 | $45,540 to $78,790 | 130 |
| Idaho | $60,200 | $60,190 to $80,050 | not published |
| Illinois | $92,310 | $74,410 to $100,010 | 50 |
| Indiana | $60,620 | $51,830 to $60,620 | not published |
| Kentucky | $46,600 | $38,130 to $58,080 | 40 |
| Louisiana | $64,110 | $61,670 to $75,940 | 1,370 |
| Maine | $51,370 | $47,350 to $88,450 | not published |
| Michigan | $69,540 | $49,980 to $95,860 | 40 |
| Minnesota | $59,700 | $57,680 to $70,570 | 60 |
| Mississippi | $61,670 | $50,840 to $61,750 | 70 |
| Missouri | $44,650 | $42,120 to $45,770 | 70 |
| Montana | $71,770 | $53,820 to $87,530 | 50 |
| Nebraska | $46,170 | $45,760 to $48,070 | not published |
| Nevada | $57,980 | $46,950 to $80,250 | 150 |
| New Jersey | $64,990 | $63,540 to $83,390 | 310 |
| New Mexico | $58,920 | $50,530 to $65,280 | 80 |
| New York | $48,010 | $45,620 to $56,190 | 300 |
| North Carolina | $45,890 | $40,390 to $47,220 | 180 |
| North Dakota | $81,400 | $57,200 to $87,990 | 70 |
| Ohio | $64,700 | $55,740 to $82,280 | 150 |
| Oklahoma | $46,900 | $44,830 to $48,600 | 90 |
| Oregon | $54,540 | $46,650 to $77,990 | 630 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,660 | $45,240 to $67,280 | 190 |
| Puerto Rico | $35,370 | $34,430 to $41,910 | 90 |
| Tennessee | $52,120 | $36,770 to $57,050 | 80 |
| Texas | $61,770 | $47,010 to $83,680 | 2,110 |
| Utah | $61,590 | $50,960 to $76,090 | 250 |
| Virginia | $66,500 | $62,220 to $66,920 | 150 |
| Washington | $57,030 | $56,680 to $99,970 | 80 |
| West Virginia | $61,450 | $56,910 to $81,200 | not published |
| Wisconsin | $60,320 | $53,530 to $80,090 | 70 |
| Wyoming | $77,820 | $61,610 to $82,390 | 290 |
Nationally: $61,770. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 4 of its 14 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Read operating schedules or instructions or receive verbal orders to determine amounts to be pumped. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools. | Not published |
| AI + software | Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times. | Not published |
See all 14 tasks
| Not much | Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage. | Not published |
| Not much | Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts. | Not published |
| Not much | Test materials and solutions, using testing equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Add chemicals and solutions to tanks to ensure that specifications are met. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect and deliver sample solutions for laboratory analysis. | Not published |
| Not much | Pump two or more materials into one tank to blend mixtures. | Not published |
| Not much | Tend auxiliary equipment such as water treatment and refrigeration units, and heat exchangers. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 14 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 14 tasks fall under 16 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Monitor equipment operation | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Plan work activities | |||
| Connect components or supply lines to equipment or tools | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Test characteristics of materials or products |
Show all 16 activities
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Maintain vehicles in working condition | |||
| Collect samples of products or materials | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for pump operators, except wellhead pumpers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 4,495 moves out
- 1 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 10%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 10%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 9%
- 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 8%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
Where people moved in from
of 3,695 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 14%
- 2 Coaches and Scouts Moderate +6.1% 6%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
- 4 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 8% postsecondary certificate
- 8% some college
- 5% associate's
- 79% not published
O*NET marks 79% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 25 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 14% less than high school
- 54% high school
- 21% some college
- 5% associate's
- 5% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Conveyor, dredge, and hoist and winch operators” · 292 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Conveyor, dredge, and hoist and winch operators”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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